Counter inclosure



July i w24. 3,499,365

` J. A. GUSTUS COUNTER INCLOSURE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 www /c aw fm l/ gwmwm ef Patented July 1 1924. j

UNITED. STATES JOEN A. GUSTUS, OE DETRDIT, 'MIGIGAIL A.ASIG'Ibl'OB TODETROIT BUTCHER vSUIPPIZ' COMPANY, F' DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A.v CQBPORATIONOF MICHIGAN.

coUNTEB iNcLosunn Application nea August 2s, 1922. serial N0. 5's4,esa

I To all t 'may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN A. GUs'rUs, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, re.- Sidin vat Detroit, in the county of Wayne and tate ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements CounterInclosures, of which the following is a specification, referencel beinghad therein to the accompanyingdrawing's.

The invention relates to counter inclosures and refers particularly tothat type combining a display compartment and a refrigeratingcompartment in communication therewith. One of the objects of the,invention is to provide a simple construction of frame for supportingadoor which is'mov-v able upwardly and outwardly from closed position toopen position. Another object 'is the provision of a frame member havinga cross bar upon the upper end of which a top is supported and upon thelower end of which the door is adapted to be' supported, suiicientclearance being provided below the top for the door. Further object s ofthe invention reside inthe support for the pipes through which therefrigerant flows; and in the novel features of construction andcombinations and arrangements of parts as more fully hereinafter setforth. l

In the drawings: y Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a counterinclosure embodying my invention;

Figure 3' .is a transverse section therethrough; A

Figure 4 is a front elevation of a portion thereof;

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are respectively cross sections on the lines 5 5, 66, and 7 7 of Figure 3. y

l is the display' compartment of the counter inclosure, and 2 therefrigerating compartment at the rear thereof and coinmuncatingtherewith.. The frame of the display'compartment comprises the spacedparallel frame members 3 eachV preferably of one-piececonstruction,comprising the upright bar 4, the top bar 5, and thedownwardly and rearwardly inclined bar 6, which latter has a footlflange 7'resting upon and secured to the top 8 of the refrigeratingcompartment. Both the upright and downwardly and -rearwardly inclinedbars are of T cross section as Ashown respectively in Figures 5 and7,-while the top bar is of I cross section as shown in Figure'. 9 areend closures of the counter inclosure secured to the end frame members,10 are the front closures, and 11 the top closures, all preferablyformed of glass and secured to the frame members. The top bars of theframe members are of progressively increasing depth from front to rear,and the top- .closures are supported upon the lateral flanges at theupper edges of these toprbars.

l2 are sliding doors at the rear of the display compartment and adaptedin closed position to rest upon the ledges 13 formed -by/the opposedlateral flanges 14 at the lower 4edges of the downwardly and rearwardlyinclined bars. These closures abut the front edges of the top of therefrigerating compartment and preferably have a sealing strip 15 attheir upper edges which are adapted -I to engage the under surface ofthe tops of the display compartments'near their rearward edges .tocompletely close the space between the top of the counter inclosure andthe top of the refrigerating compartment. The doors may be readily slidupwardly and forwardly from their closed position to rest upon thelateral flanges 16 at the lower edges of the top bars 5, suilicientclearance being provided below the top 1l for the movement of the doors.

The refrigerating com artment 2 has eX- tending longitudinally t ereofthe pair .of

pipes 17]. and 17' adapted for the passage of the refrigerant. Tosupport these pipes, I havev provided the frame membersS which Vrestupon the bottom of the refrigerating compartment and are secured to therear and top walls' thereof. These, frame members have vertical webs 19adapted to engage the rear walls of the pipes and also' have the lowerwebs 2O which are recessed at 21 to engage the lower pipe 17 22 is aclamp for each frame member having a nose 23 insertable upon the upperand lowerv pipes and resting upon the lower pip'e to force the same intoengagement with its recess. Each clamp 1s L-shaped and the inside of itscurve engages the outer wall of the upper pipe to\' force the same Aintoengagement with the vertical web o the frame member. The

upper and free end of the clamp is laterally, movable into engagementwith the depend" ing lug 24 formed at the forward edge of the upperportion of the frame' member, an

upper web 25 preferably extending from the vertical web to the lug toreinforce the same.

In order to facilitate thecleaning of the refrigerating compartment,provision is made for the insertion of trays 26 between the framemembers 18 and resting uponthe bottom of ,the compartment. These trayshave apertures 27 in their bottoin"whicli register with a gutter 28extending longitudinally in the upper face of the bottom of thecompartment, this gutter in turn communicating with a suitable ,drain 29to drain any condensation collecting upon i the frame members 18 intothe trays. -The lower portions of the frame membershave outwardly anddownwardly curved flanges 30 which are-A spaced suificiently above thecompartment to permitof the ready insertion or removal of the traystlierebeneath, the ends of these trays extending below these anges. Withthis arrangement, it will be seen that any condensation upon the pipesor frame members will be collected by the trays and then drained throughthe apertures in the bottom of these trays into the gutter in the bottomof the compartment and then into the drain from the gutter. Also, thesetrays may be readily removed to be cleaned and then replaced.

From the above description, it will be seen that I have provided aconstruction in which the door rocks in being moved to open or `closedpositions land in which the door automatically moves to closed positionafter it has been moved outwardly a sufficient distance to bring itscenterof gravity beyond the fulcruin points at the upper ends of theledges 13. Also, these d oors may be readily removed from the frame topermit cleaning. Still another important consideration is 'thearrangement of clamps for securing the refrigerating pipes in place,these clamps 'being simple in construction and being readilyV applied orremoved.- Another very impor.

tant feature resides in the arrangement of ,refrigerating compartmentfrainemembers with the trays below their outwardly f and downwardlycurved iianges upon their lower portions, whereby the refrigeratingcompartment may be more easily cleaned.v

What claim as my invention' is:

1. In a counter inclosure, a pair of spaced top bars having fiangesalong their lower edges,' downwardly and rearwardly inclined bar shaving opposed lateral flanges along their lower edges connecting withthe lower flanges respectively of said spaced top bars,

a top supported on said top bars, and adoor normally resting freely uponthe said lateral flanges of the inclined bars and adapted to be liftedat its rear end to slidably en age .the lower flanges of the said topbars a ong the length of the opposite edges of the door when slid intoopen position.

2. In-a counter inclosure, a pair of spaced top bars having flangesalong their lower edges, downwardly and rearwardly inclined spectivelyof said spaced top bars,

supporting anges Athe drip to the trays.

bars having opposed lateral anges along theirlower edges connecting withthe lower anges respectively of'said spaced top bars, a top supported onsaid top bars, said first 3. In a counter inclosure, a pair of spacedtop bars having flanges along their lower edgesfdownwardly andrearwardly inclined bars having opposed lateral"flanges along theirlower edges connecting with the lower flanges respectively of saidspaced top bars,

a top supported on said top bars, a door normally resting freely uponthe said lateral anges f the inclined bars and adapted to be lifted atits rear end to slidably en age the lower flanges of the said top bars aong the length of the opposite edges of the door when slid into openposition, and a sealing 'strip along the forward edge of vthe doornormally engaging the top. l

4. In a counter inclosure, a pair of spaced top bars having supportingiianges alon their lower edges sloping rearwardl an downwardly, atopsupported by said top bars, spaced inclined bars havin U lateralsupporting flanges along t eir lower edges connecting with the lowerflanges rea door normally supported along:its opposite edges upon theanges of the inclined ybars and having its upper forward edge' normallyoverhanging the connected. portions of the I of the top and inclinedbars respectively and engaging said top,

said door being slidable beneath the top.

5. The combination with a plurality of frame members having horizontalmembers for supporting a pipe, of a plurality of trays each insertablebelow and between said horizontal members, and outwardly extendingflanges on said horizontal members to guide 6. In a counter inclosure,the combinationv with spaced frame members each having a substantiallyhorizontal portion of I cross section and progressively increasing indepth from front to rear i having a downwardly extending portion ofinverted T cross section connecting into the rear end of saidsubstantially horizontal portion, of a closure resting upon saiddownwardly extending portion when in one position and slidable to restupon said substantially horizontal portions when in another position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN A. GUSTUS.

opposedv thereof and each

